Goodbye
by Moony245
Summary: Follows Remus and Tonks from their final goodbyes to fighting in the final battle and Andromeda finding out what happened that night. T for violence. R&R Please
1. Chapter 1

_**I've always wondered what would have happened after Remus and Tonks found out about the final battle, so I thought of this, and I nearly cried while writing parts of it.**_

_**Something similar was originally supposed to be posted as part of another story I was writing with my friend, but that story kind of got abandoned, so I'm posting it now. Let me know what you think! Reviews are welcome!**_

Remus had just returned home from a Potterwatch meeting and was thankful for the time to unwind. He sat on the couch with his tiny son wrapped in his arms.

"He's been waiting for you, I think," Tonks said as she sat down next to him with a cup of tea in her hand. "I've been trying to get him to sleep all day, and he'll only relax when you're home."

Remus chuckled quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping baby. Just then, a Patronus bounded through the window and sat in front of the little family. "Trouble at Hogwarts," McGonagall's voice told them. "Harry's here. Come quickly." With that, it disappeared.

Remus instantly rose from his seat on the couch and handed the baby to his wife. He headed straight for the door, grabbing his wand and traveling cloak on his way out. Tonks put the baby in the nearby bassinet and began following her husband to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Remus asked as he pulled on his cloak.

"With you," Tonks replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You can't," Remus protested. "If Harry's at Hogwarts, there has to be a reason," he explained. "You-Know-Who probably knows and will be there, and who knows what will happen then."

"I'm coming, Remus," Tonks argued sternly.

"You've just had a child," Remus reminded her, "You can't just—"

"I'm an Auror," Tonks interrupted, "I'm _trained_ to handle situations like these. I can do this," she said stubbornly. Just then, the baby, disturbed by his parents' raised voices, began to whine and cry from the bassinet. Tonks went over and began cradling the infant in her arms in an attempt to quiet him.

"I know _you_ can handle it," Remus returned urgently, "but, Dora, we have a son now. You have to think of him."

"I am thinking of him." Tonks retorted. "I want to give him a better life than this. I don't want him to have to live in fear like we are now, and I can't do that just by sitting here!"

Remus sighed and took a few steps closer to Tonks. His voice took on a morbid tone as he spoke. "No one knows what could happen tonight," he started thickly. He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. He shook his head as though he was trying to clear it of some horrible thought before he went on, "If something were happen to me…" he trailed off, obviously struggling with what he was trying to say. He took a deep breath and continued, "Teddy needs at least one parent. He needs his mother."

Tonks looked into her husband's face and saw that he was fighting back tears. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, her other arm still holding the now calm baby. "He needs his father too, Remus," she said quietly. "Please don't go alone. You said that you wouldn't leave us again." Silent tears were now falling down her cheeks as she looked into Remus' face.

Remus pulled her into a hug. "You _have_ to stay here," he begged. "I wouldn't be able to survive if I lost you," he added softly as he brushed away a tear from her cheek. "I'll be back before you know it," he said lightly.

"Promise?" Tonks pleaded in little more than a whisper, not breaking eye contact with her husband.

"I told you that I would never leave you again, and I promise you that I won't." He offered her a smile, which she returned weakly. He then scooped his son into his arms and held him close. "Now, you be good for your mother. I'll be back soon, so I'll hear all about the trouble you've caused," he scolded jokingly.

Tonks gave a feeble laugh. Remus kissed the baby on the forehead and placed him back in the bassinet. He then approached his wife and they threw their arms around each other in a tight embrace.

"Please be careful," Tonks told him quietly as her tears seeped into his cloak.

"I will," he assured her before giving her one last kiss. He reluctantly turned away from her and headed out the door. Tonks could hear the faintest pop of his Disapparition as she picked up her son and Flooed to her mother's.

-oOoOoO-

Tonks sat in her mother's kitchen, glancing worriedly at the cuckoo clock on the wall every few minutes. It had been about an hour since Remus had left, and Tonks had been waiting nearly on the edge of her seat for any news from the battle.

As the little cuckoo bird announced that it was now midnight, Andromeda Tonks entered the room with little Teddy in her arms.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked solemnly. Tonks shook her head.

"I should be there, Mum," Tonks said quietly. "I know that Remus said I needed to stay here, but it doesn't feel right."

Teddy began to squirm in his grandmother's arms, so Tonks rose from her chair and took him from her mother. As she rocked her son, he immediately quieted.

Despite the fact that the baby relaxed, Tonks' movements were almost robotic, like she wasn't really present in what she was doing, and her eyes were distant as though she was raging some great war in her mind.

"I dunno what to do," she confessed to her mother, who was still standing in the doorway. "I know that Teddy needs me here, but I can't stand not knowing what's happening at Hogwarts." Tonks continued pacing around the room, still rocking her son.

"Go," Andromeda called from the entry.

Tonks turned to her mother, a dazed expression on her face. "My biggest regret was that I didn't go with your father while he was on the run. You need to be with Remus now," she explained. "I'll watch Teddy for you until you get back."

Within a second, Tonks' arm was thrust around her mother's neck. "Thank you, Mum," she said quietly. When she released her mother, Tonks looked at the child in her arms. She held him as close as she possibly could and spoke softly, "I love you so much. I'll be back as soon as I can." She hugged him and placed a light kiss on his forehead before handing the baby to her mother.

Andromeda wrapped an arm around her daughter. "Be careful," she warned quietly as her eyes welled with tears. She couldn't tell why, but this felt like more than just another good-bye. It was too reminiscent of the last time she had seen Ted. She pulled her daughter closer as a tear leaked from her eye.

"Now go," Andromeda shooed when she finally released Tonks. Tonks nodded and headed for the door. With the faintest pop, Andromeda knew that her daughter had arrived in Hogsmeade.

_**So there it is! Let me know what you thought in a Review! Thanks for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi! I hope you like this chapter! Don't forget to Review! They make me happy :)**_

"Remus," Kingsley instructed as the other Order members began to split off to their designated locations for the battle, "you and I will lead a group onto the grounds on the northern side of the castle."

Remus nodded and withdrew his wand from his pocket. He and Kingsley gathered a group of about twenty fighters and led them out into the chilly night air.

Outside, it was nearly silent; nothing could be heard but the light whoosh of the breeze whistling through the stones of Hogwarts. It made the night seem eerie with the impending battle. Remus looked up at the night sky and breathed deeply. He knew that soon the Death Eaters would storm the castle in search of Harry and that everything would soon be chaos, but for now, his body was nearly shaking as the adrenaline began to course through his veins.

He turned to look at the fighters he was now leading. Many of them were no older than eighteen. There were some faces he recognized from his teaching days: a seventh year Hufflepuff boy with sandy brown hair, a Ravenclaw girl that had since graduated from Hogwarts. They looked so young.

This battle would be long and hard, and he sensed that now more than ever. The Death Eaters would have the experience and the numbers needed to win the war. These fighters were young, inexperienced, and frightened. Maybe they really didn't stand a chance. Remus shook that thought out of his mind. He couldn't start thinking like that. Besides, the Hogwarts fighters had something that the Death Eaters didn't and never would have: something worth fighting for.

They stood there in the cool night, just waiting for the fight to come to them. Soon, Remus saw the bright flashes of light that indicated that the Death Eaters were fighting against the protective enchantments around the school. He heard several gasps echo from behind him, and he swore that he saw some of the more cowardly fighters flee back into the castle for safety. Remus remained unmoving, staring straight into the night and trying to stay strong for the others. Before long, swarms of Death Eaters flew onto the grounds, casting spells at any opponent they passed. Remus and Kingsley led their fighters into a full on charge with the oncoming horde of foes.

Remus cast Stunning spells as quickly as his wand would allow as he continued running through the grounds. The fighting was quickly becoming increasingly heated. Remus saw more and more people fall to the ground, dead. He felt his stomach do somersaults when he saw one of his former students lying motionless with eyes glazed over, a long slash cut deep into his head and oozing bright crimson blood onto the dark ground.

Remus became thankful that Tonks wasn't here to see any of this. She would be safe at her mother's no matter what happened tonight.

The fighting continued, causing the bright flashes of the spells thrown about to light up the night sky. Remus had run closer to the walls of the castle, trying to help some of the fighters there. His group looked to be tiring quickly, and the Death Eaters were forcing them back further still. Suddenly, a deafening boom shook the entire side of the castle, causing one of the large towers to come crashing to the ground. Remus lunged to the side and felt a pang when he heard the bloodcurdling screams of those who did not get out of the way in time.

He stood up, looking sadly at the dusty rubble of the wall. For the first time, Remus could see the battles occurring inside the school's walls. The blinding flashes of light covered the halls and made it difficult to make out the different faces. People were running in every different direction and were shouting spells and curses at their attackers.

Remus ran to aid those inside, but was forced to the ground when a spell hit him in the back. Pain coursed down his spine and into his legs. He forced himself up and turned to see Antonin Dolohov circling him like a vulture does its prey.

"_Stupefy!_" Remus cast. The spell missed Dolohov by less than inches.

"_Reducto!_" Dolohov returned. Remus was thrust back into the castle when the spell hit him square in the chest. His head hit one of the rocks of the fallen castle wall as he slid back on the ground. He felt a warm, sticky liquid begin to seep into his hair and forehead. He tried to get up, but the cut in his head made him feel sick and dizzy. No matter how hard he tried, he could not will his legs to move from the ground. He saw Dolohov approaching him with a toothy grin plastered to his face.

"What's this?" he taunted as Remus struggled with all his might to rise from the rubble. "Left to die like the dog you are?" he sing-songed again.

Blood began to spill into Remus' face, obscuring his vision. Everything began to blur together into a fuzz of unidentifiable images. He grasped his wand in his hand and desperately searched for the Death Eater in front of him, but he couldn't see anything. All he could see were hazy images of figures dueling on the grounds.

Remus wanted to fire any string of curses he could think of at the dark-haired Death Eater, but he couldn't see him. He considered casting blindly, but then he would risk hitting one of his allies.

He was trapped, and there was nowhere for him to go. He was going to die lying in the rubble of the destroyed castle wall.

He closed his eyes, ready to face his death with some pride. He was not going to die like a coward pleading for mercy. The only thing that kept him from losing any bit of sanity he had left was the comforting thought that his wife and son would be safe.

Remus' eyes welled with tears at the thought that he wouldn't see Teddy grow up or come home to Tonks' bright and happy face, but he wasn't going to think about that now. If he was going to die, he wanted his last thoughts to be happy.

He remembered Tonks' proud face at the realization that Teddy was a Metamorphmagus and Teddy's happiness whenever his father returned home from a busy day with the Order. Remus clung to the memories as though they were the only things keeping him from falling over the edge of a cliff. Half his mouth quirked into a smile. In that instant, Dolohov shouted the words "_Avada Kedavra!_" over the roar of the fighting, and a jet of emerald green light hit Remus straight in the chest. He fell limply onto the rubble, his face still smiling with the joy of his last thoughts.

_**There's Remus in the battle! I'll add Tonks in another chapter, but it's getting late, and I wanted to get something up before things got completely busy again. Hope you liked it! Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi again! Thanks to everyone who's read this and reviewed! You make me so happy! Here's Tonks in the battle for anyone who's still reading this! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've been trying to figure out how to write this chapter for a long time. I wanted to keep the same feel as the last chapter, but I was having trouble with that. I hope that it turned out ok! Enjoy!**_

Tonks ran through the halls of Hogwarts castle as fast as her legs would allow.

"I'm sure he's alright!" Ginny called after her, struggling to keep up with the pink-haired Auror. "Slow down!"

Tonks didn't hear anything that her friend said; all that mattered to her was finding her husband. Aberforth said that Remus had been dueling Dolohov out on the grounds. She would head outside in hopes of finding him there. "Tonks!" Ginny called after her friend, but Tonks was already sprinting outside the castle, Ginny's voice little more than a whisper in the back of her mind.

Tonks was desperate to find Remus. He had to be here somewhere. She was now out on the grounds, searching for any sign of her husband. Duels and fighting completely covered the school's grounds, and the bright flashes made it hard to distinguish any of the faces.

Tonks strained her ears. Maybe she would hear his voice through the duels, but so many people were shouting curses and spells, there would be no way she could hear him. She ran forward, her Auror training kicking in. She had to keep moving. If she stood still for even a second, she left herself open for an attack.

Suddenly, Tonks felt her legs buckle from beneath her, and she fell over something heavy. When she rose, she felt her breath catch in her throat. What looked to be a seventh year Ravenclaw girl lay on the ground, still as a statue. Her light brown hair was splayed in every direction and was covered in dirt and blood. Her leg was badly cut and was bent at a painfully awkward angle. Had Tonks not seen the light up and down movements of the girl's chest, she would have thought the student to be dead. Tonks kneeled on the ground beside the girl and tore off a long strip near the hem of her robes. She then proceeded to bandage the girl's head and leg in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Tonks knew that by helping this girl, she was making herself a prime target for any Death Eater, but she couldn't just leave a girl to die. Once she had finished bandaging the girl's head and leg, her eyes fluttered open.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked quietly, weakly.

"Your leg's broken, and you lost some blood," Tonks responded. "Do you think you can get up if I help you?"

The girl nodded feebly, and put her arm around Tonks shoulders. Tonks pulled the girl up from the ground so that she helped to support the girl's weight. "Are you alright?" Tonks asked once they were standing. The girl gave another weak nod.

Tonks led the girl back through the grounds. There were people healing the fighters in the Great Hall. She could take the girl there, and they would be able to help her better.

They walked unsteadily back into the castle, Tonks trying to push them to go as fast as they could. _Constant vigilance! You let your guard down for a second, and it'll be your last._ Mad-Eye's teachings whirled through Tonks' mind like a raging tornado. Her eyes threatened to let tears leak down her face at the thought of her now dead instructor, but she wouldn't allow herself to cry now. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Her head darted in all directions as she led the girl inside. She spotted a large red-headed Death Eater taking aim for Tonks and her injured companion.

"Watch out!" Tonks warned as she dragged the girl to the side to avoid being hit by the Killing Curse that was headed straight for them. They narrowly avoided the jet of green light. Tonks raised her wand rather awkwardly from beneath the girl's weight and cast a Blasting Jinx in the direction of their attacker. The Death Eater was thrust off his feet when the jinx hit his chest, and he fell backwards into the ongoing battle.

Finally, Tonks had managed to get the girl inside. She lowered the girl onto one of the stretchers. Blood had begun to seep through the makeshift bandages, and she looked as though she was about to faint, but at least she was alive.

Madame Pomfrey made her way over to Tonks and the Ravenclaw girl upon seeing them enter. "What happened?" she asked. Her face was full of worry, and her voice was tired. As Tonks looked around the room, she could see why Madame Pomfrey would be so exhausted; dozens of fighters were lying on stretchers either dead or wounded.

"I found her on the grounds," Tonks replied breathlessly, wiping sweat from her brow. "Her leg's cut and broken, and she's got a pretty nasty cut in her head."

Madame Pomfrey nodded and immediately went to healing the girl. "Have you seen Remus?" Tonks inquired. Her voice took on a distracted tone as she scanned the room for him.

The cuts on the girl's leg and head disappeared, and with a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey was able to fix the broken leg. She then stood up and looked at Tonks' worried face. "I heard he was by the northern end of the castle," she responded quietly. "A wall had fallen, but Tonks, you have to—"

Tonks didn't hear the rest of what Madame Pomfrey said, for without another word, she took off for the northern wall at a sprint.

He had to be okay; he just _had _to be alright. Tonks finally reached the fallen wall, and her mouth fell open in shock. The entire wall had collapsed into a pile of rubble, and there was no partition between the duels that were occurring outside and those that took place within the walls of Hogwarts. It was horrible, she thought, that so much destruction had happened at a place she once saw as a home away from home, a place that would always be close to her heart.

She took a step forward to see if she could spot Remus in any of the duels, but she stepped on something, and it rolled beneath her feet. She fell backwards and landed on the hard stone floor. She looked around for the source of her fall, and found a wand lying about a foot away from her. It was broken in half, revealing a glimpse of a thin strand of unicorn hair holding the two ends together. She turned the broken wand over in her hands, and noticed something odd. The unicorn hair, normally silvery a glimmering, was dull and black…dead.

Tonks' breath caught in her throat. It was Remus' wand. It had to be; she would recognize it the elegantly carved hazel wood anywhere. _No_, she thought. He's not…he can't be…. She couldn't bring herself to utter the last word.

She stood up and looked around, desperate to find her husband. Suddenly, she caught sight of an arm hanging limply out of a pile of debris. She ran over and felt her stomach drop to the floor when she saw Remus lying in the rubble. His long and lanky form was splayed out over a pile of rocks in an almost relaxed-looking way. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping. His hair and forehead were covered in dried blood, and his face was pale and lifeless. She kneeled next to him and felt tears burn in her eyes. He was dead. He had promised that he would never leave her again, but now they were separated forever.

She looked into his face and saw that despite his lifelessness, his mouth was bent in what looked like a small smile. _At least he was happy when it happened_, Tonks thought solemnly.

A single tear flowed down her face, and she grabbed her husband's cold hand, holding it close. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and placed his hand so that it was lying right next to him in the rubble. She reluctantly tore her eyes away from him and rose from the ground. She had to keep fighting. She owed that to him.

"Good-bye," she whispered to him, though she knew he couldn't hear. Tonks gripped her wand tighter in her hand and ran out onto the grounds, brushing tears out of her eyes.

Directly outside the wall, Tonks came across a tall brunette Death Eater. He looked young, maybe in his early twenties, and he was clearly inexperienced in the art of dueling. He had left himself wide open for an attack as he tortured a seventh year Hufflepuff boy. The boy writhed on the ground for several seconds as the Death Eater laughed, enjoying his opponent's pain.

Tonks' nostrils flared. "_Reducto!_" she yelled. The Death Eater was thrust forward onto the ground, and his head smashed into a brick from the fallen castle wall. Blood poured onto the ground as the Death Eater gradually became motionless.

The boy rose from the ground a bit unsteadily. He turned and saw the Death Eater's lifeless body a few feet away and then turned to face Tonks.

"Thanks for that," he said breathlessly.

"No problem," Tonks returned. Her voice was completely emotionless, and it sounded foreign to her own ears. The boy threw himself back into the battle, and Tonks turned to do the same.

Tonks had defeated three Death Eaters, and things showed no signs of slowing down. Just as the third foe had fallen to the ground, Tonks heard a strangely familiar cackle sound from behind her.

"Well if it isn't dear Tonksie," the voice called teasingly. "Come to play, have you?"

Tonks whirled to see Bellatrix Lestrange prowling toward her. "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Tonks shrieked. Bellatrix lunged to the side and avoided being hit by the spell. "_Stupefy! Immobulus! Locomotor Mortis!_" Bellatrix avoided every spell Tonks threw at her.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Bellatrix seethed as she threw a Killing curse in Tonks' direction.

Tonks leapt out of the way and narrowly avoided the jet of emerald light. The two witches fought for several minutes, each avoiding or blocking every spell the other threw at them. The duel went on with a vigor fuelled by each of their hatred for the other, and none of the other fighters dared approach them.

Finally, an eerie stillness came over the battlefield, and a cold voice rang through the air. For a moment, everything stopped. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, forcing everyone to listen. _"You have fought, valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."_

Tonks stood and listened to the voice intently along with the other fighters. He was calling them back! Voldemort was calling the Death Eaters back! Some of his fighters had already begun heading back into the forest!

Just as Tonks allowed herself to fill up with the slightest hope that this nightmare was almost over, she heard her aunt's high shriek of "_Avada Kedavra!_"

It was funny, Tonks thought, how Mad-Eye had always stressed the importance of constant vigilance, and she had always done everything she could to follow his teachings, but now, the one time she let her guard down, it would end her.

Tonks had barely enough time to widen her eyes in surprise before the curse hit her, but in that fraction of a second, her life flashed before her eyes. She saw her fifth birthday when her parents took her to a Muggle theme park. She saw her father dressed as Santa Claus and pretending to put gifts under the tree at Christmas. She saw her first day of training with Mad-Eye and her first Order meeting. She saw her and Remus' wedding and the day Teddy was born.

Tonks nearly smiled. She had thought that Remus left her, but now she saw that he was only going ahead, and now they were going to be together forever.

Tonks closed her eyes. She prayed that Harry would win this, that her death would mean something. She hoped that her mother and Teddy would understand why she did what she did. She wanted Teddy to know that his mother and father wanted to give him a better life, and that's why they died.

The curse hit Tonks in the chest and threw her off her feet. Her pale, lifeless body was sprawled limply on the dark, cold ground, but her face was bright and smiling. She and Remus were together, never again to be separated.

_**So there's Tonks in the battle. For those of you wondering about the whole dead wand thing, I stole that off of Pottermore. It said that hazel wands with a unicorn hair core die when their owners die, and I always pictured Remus with a unicorn hair wand, so I added that bit in. Also, Voldemort's words are taken right out of the Deathly Hallows book, so that's why their italicized. **_

_**I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter will be the last one, and I'll try to get it up soon. I'm going away for a while, so it may be a few weeks before it gets up, but I WILL add it when I get back! If you guys want a happier story than this (because I know this one's kind of a downer), I'm writing a Remus/Tonks love story called "A Twist of Time", and it's more of a happy story if you want to check it out!**_

_**Anyways, thanks for reading, and don't forget to Review! **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hi again! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get another chapter up! I had a big basketball tournament to get ready for, and then I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which is AMAZING! I got Remus' wand at Ollivander's, and the Butterbeer is out of this world). All that made it hard to write, so sorry that this chapter took a little while to get up.**_

_**Anyways, here's the last chapter! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed :) You all are the BEST! **_

Andromeda knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep that night. How could she? Her daughter and son-in-law, her only family besides the tiny baby asleep in her arms, were fighting in "the battle that would end it all" as Dora had put it.

Andromeda leaned back on the sofa and tried to relax, but she couldn't stop thinking of everyone at Hogwarts. Her heart ached at the thought that many of the fighters would be Hogwarts students who had been so anxious to help Harry in the past. They were only children, barely given the chance to live! It was cruel for people so young to have to see such horrors.

She thought of her own daughter, risking her life for years trying to end this war, and despite her attempts to hold them back, Andromeda's eyes filled with tears. The way she saw it, there were two possibilities. 1: Both Remus and Nymphadora would return home safely and would live out the remainder of their happy lives. And 2:… she shuttered at the thought. They had to live, they just _had _to. They had been through far too much only to die now at the very end.

No matter the outcome, Andromeda was sure of one thing: live or die, Dora and Remus would be together; it wouldn't be fair for them to be separated now.

She tried to find some peace in that thought, but for some reason, it only made her feel more uneasy. Her stomach was doing flips and twists, causing her to feel sick. Her head was spinning with ideas as to what could be happening at the battle, making her lightheaded and dizzy.

Andromeda closed her eyes, trying to push all thoughts out of her mind. _They're going to be okay_, she thought. _They're going to be okay. They're going to be okay…_. She kept repeating it over and over to herself in an attempt to calm herself down. _They'll be alright…_ The thought acted like a lullaby, slowly dragging her into an uneasy sleep.

_ She was running through the darkness, her heart racing. She couldn't see anything, just an inescapable blackness drowning her, seeming to smother her as she ran. An evil cackle sounded from behind her, and she ran faster still. It was becoming harder to breathe, and her chest tightened, but she couldn't slow down. The same laugh echoed through the darkness again, causing Andromeda to push through harder, praying that she would reach something, anything that would allow her to escape._

_ Suddenly, a speck of light appeared out in front of her, and it grew larger as she approached it. Andromeda's heart leapt. She ran faster, trying to get out of the blackness as soon as possible. _

_ Finally, she reached the edge of the darkness, and stepped through to the other side. The relief she had felt when she first saw the tiny hole of light instantly disappeared, leaving nothing but her horror as she took in the sight before her._

_ Hogwarts was completely destroyed. Entire towers had crumbled, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble. Other parts of the castle were burning as bright flashes of lights hit the walls. Cries and screams echoed through the grounds as yet another tower came smashing to the ground._

_ She looked down, and her heart sank to her stomach. She felt as though she would collapse right there; the sight before her was too much to handle._

_ Four bodies were arranged in a circle right at Andromeda's feet. They were dead. She gasped when she saw Ted lying in the dry, brown grass with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes glazed over. His face was pale and lifeless and cold, and blood seeped through his shirt._

_ A few feet away from him, Harry was sprawled on the ground with a shocked expression on his face and his glasses askew. Next to him, Remus lay motionless. A deep cut on his head spilled blood into his face and hair. His arms and legs were twisted at unnaturally painful-looking angles, making her stomach churn just looking at them, and his face was screwed up in an almost pained-looking expression._

_ Finally, Andromeda's eyes came to rest on her daughter. Dora's face was scratched and bruised, causing blood to drip onto the dead grass beneath her. Her hair, always any array of bright colors, was a dull and dingy grayish brown color. Her arms and legs were sprawled about on the grass, as though she had been thrown off her feet and landed on her back. Her face had the same surprised expression Harry's had had, but her eyes, usually happy and youthful, stared unseeingly at the night sky._

_ Andromeda fell to her knees, her husband's body on her left and her daughter's on her right. She covered her face and began sobbing. How could this have happened? Everyone was gone. They had no hope now._

_ Suddenly, a baby cry came from the center of the circle of bodies, and the same evil laugh rang through the grounds._

_ Andromeda looked up and saw Bellatrix cackling like a hyena and holding her wand pointed at baby Teddy. Teddy wailed in Bellatrix's arms as the Death Eater turned to address her sister._

_ "Ah, come to see the show, Andy?" Bellatrix teased cruelly. "You're just in time. I was about to get rid of this brat," she added menacingly as she raised her wand to curse the child._

_ Andromeda sprang from her place on the ground and lunged for Teddy. She was _not_ going to lose him too. She reached out a desperate hand for him, and pushed her mad sister out of the way. Bellatrix stumbled backwards, loosening her grip on the boy. Andromeda pulled Teddy into her arms and held him tightly to her chest. _

_ Just then, Andromeda saw Bellatrix snarl and shout "Avada Kedavra!" The jet of emerald light headed straight for Andromeda and the baby in her arms. Her eyes opened in shock, and—_

_*Crackle*_

Andromeda sat bolt upright on the sofa, her face covered in sweat and her breathing heavy. It was early morning, and a pale gray light came through the nearby window. Teddy was still sleeping soundly in her arms.

She placed him in his bassinet and sat back on the sofa, trying to calm herself down after her dream. There was another crackling sound, and Andromeda looked to her right to see that the radio on the side table had sprung to life, the many lights and knobs flashing and turning wildly. Suddenly, an unrecognizable man's voice came on the speaker. "Breaking news from Hogwarts," the voice said. "Last night, a battle was fought at Hogwarts castle. Many of the fighters included those who were loyal to You-Know-Who, known as Death Eaters, members of the secret society known as The Order of the Phoenix, and several Hogwarts students and teachers. Kingsley Shacklebolt is here with the latest."

Kingsley's voice then came on. His voice was heavy with exhaustion when he spoke, "This morning at approximately 4:26 A.M., Harry Potter defeated and killed Voldemort, ending a war that has been fought for almost twenty years." Andromeda's heart must have skipped a beat. The war was over. Not only was it over, but they had won! Remus and Nymphadora would be coming home! They would be able to live the lives they had always wanted. They would be able to see Teddy off to Hogwarts. With Voldemort gone, maybe things would get better for werewolves, and Remus would be able to get another job teaching. Her face lit up thinking about the bright future she and her family now had.

Kingsley's voice came back on, but this time, it was thick, as though he were choking back tears, "Despite the fact that this battle has ended a long-waged war, many people from both sides lost their lives in the fighting." He stopped again, and his voice began to crack with his sadness, "I have with me a list of those known to have been killed last night. In addition to this broadcast, families of those who died will be notified of the loss of their loved ones by way of Ministry owls. First, from the Death Eaters: Barnibas Applewood, Noretta Brookstone, Maurice Killingsley, Bellatrix Lestrange,…" Andromeda couldn't help but gasp. Her big sister, the one she had looked up to as a child, the one she had played Ghosts and Wizards with in the family mansion, was gone. She knew that her sister had killed so many people, that she was no longer the girl Andromeda had once asked for advice concerning boys at Hogwarts, but it didn't lessen the blow. Andromeda felt tears fall down her cheeks and into her lap. She sniffled loudly, and tried to push memories of her sister out of her mind. She had to hear if anything happened to Remus and Dora.

After "Henrietta Whizbee", Kingsley started announcing the names of the Hogwarts students who had died. Though Andromeda recognized none of the names, she couldn't help but shed several tears for the families that were wailing when the names of their sons and daughters were announced.

Finally, after what had to be the twentieth student, Kingsley sniffled loudly and began announcing Order members that had died, and Andromeda closed her eyes tight, praying that she wouldn't hear Dora's or Remus' names. Kingsley had only read through the third name, however, when an owl came pecking at the window.

Andromeda nearly jumped out of her seat on the couch, and took in the sight of the bird. At first, her stomach dropped to the floor. Kingsley said that families would be notified about the death of their loved ones. It had to be Remus or Dora, she thought. Her breathing became ragged and shallow, not wanting to know who had died.

Then, she thought back on those who had already been called. Her sister was among those who had been killed. The Ministry must have just wanted to send her an owl alerting her to her sister's death.

Andromeda felt some of her panic leave her and let the bird inside. It flew over to the coffee table and dropped a letter on the shiny wooden surface. The owl then flew back out the window with a soft hoot.

Andromeda picked up the envelope from the table. It was addressed to her from the Ministry, as she had expected. What she hadn't expected, however, was for another owl to come flying through the window and drop another Ministry letter on the table.

_No_, she thought morbidly. Someone else had been killed. She gripped the first envelope in her shaking hands, and tore it open messily. She pulled out the neatly folded parchment, but she was trembling so much, it became hard to determine any of the words. She took a deep breath in an attempt to gather her nerves and started to read.

Dear Mrs. Andromeda Tonks,

It is our deepest regret to inform you of the loss of daughter, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin. She was found on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry early this morning. She is presumed to have been killed by the Killing Curse.

We must inform you of our deepest sympathy for your loss. If you wish to speak to anyone at the Ministry, simply tell us in a response to this letter.

We wish you and your family the best of luck.

Yours, with Sympathy,

Wesley Cumberton

Head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation

It wasn't true…it couldn't be true. Dora was an Auror. She was trained for battles like these. She couldn't have been killed.

Just then, almost as if on cue, Kingsley's voice read the names, "Nymphadora and Remus Lupin".

Andromeda stood in the middle of the sitting room, completely still. No sorrow filled her as it did when she found out about her sister's death. Now, a complete emptiness gripped at her insides. She didn't need to open the other envelope. She knew that it was a similar letter about Remus, about how her family had been killed last night.

The emptiness caused everything to be shut out. She didn't hear the rush of the wind coming from the still open window, nor did she feel the chilliness that came with the breeze. She didn't hear Kingsley call the names of the other Order members; she didn't even know that Fred had been killed until she was told about his funeral a few days later.

She was numb and empty, and that felt worse than the grief. She turned off the radio with a flip of the switch and sank back into the couch. An eerie silence filled the house. Andromeda wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fill the emptiness she felt inside.

Teddy began to cry softly from his bassinet, and Andromeda rose from her seat and picked him up. He immediately quieted in his grandmother's arms.

He looked up at Andromeda quizzically with dark, twinkling eyes, Dora's eyes. His hair slowly began to morph from jet black to a sandy brown that was the spitting image of his father's. He looked so much like them, Andromeda couldn't help but smile. They weren't really gone, she thought, they lived on in this tiny baby boy she was now holding in her arms. They wouldn't be able to hear his first words or see his first steps, but they were in a place where they were never going to be separated again, waiting to be reunited with the rest of their family.

Teddy yawned and began to drift off to sleep, his hair changing from sandy brown to bright, bubblegum pink. Andromeda smiled and held the boy close, and suddenly, some of the emptiness was filled.

_**Well, there's the last chapter. I know that there were parts of it that may have been a little melodramatic, but I tried to put a bit of a happier spin on it. I hope that the transition wasn't too sudden or awkwardly done. Let me know what you think in a Review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story! You all have been absolutely amazing! **_

_**LadyRuthless: Thanks for being my first ever reviewer on this story!**_

_**WolfMarauder: Thank you for all your reviews and for sticking with this story! Your reviews meant a lot to me, and gave me ideas for further chapters. Your comment about "show don't tell" was a huge compliment. My teachers have also stressed the importance of showing instead of telling, and it's something that I've struggled with. I'm so glad I was able to get it right in this story. Thank you!**_

_**Bunny: Your review made me smile. Thanks so much!**_

_**MsTonksLupin: Thank you for all your reviews! Your reviews meant so much to me. Even if this story might be a sad one, I'm glad that I was able to put some emotion into it. I really wanted to make people feel something with this story, and I'm glad that you got that! Thanks again!**_

_**To anyone else who has read this story, but hasn't reviewed: Thank you for reading! I hope that you enjoyed it!**_

_**And so ends my first completed multichapter fic :) I hope you liked it!**_

_***Mischief Managed***_


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